ARTS NEWS ___________________________________
Bealtaine Festival 2025
TUS LSAD Cultural & Curatorial Research Scholarship Roscommon An exciting funded research degree programme has been co-developed between Limerick School of Art & Design and Roscommon County Council Arts Office and linked partners at King House, Boyle, a local authority venue. It offers an embedded cultural and curatorial experience designed to support learning and research in cultural management and curatorial studies with a focus on the Boyle Civic Art Collection.
Role: 2 Year Masters Research Scholar Focus: Develop a hands-on research investigation within the cultural and curatorial context of Roscommon Arts Office and Boyle Civic Art Collection. Objective: Gain real-world experience in cultural management, archival practices, exhibition planning and public engagement while contributing to the ongoing success of arts initiatives in Roscommon. Application closing date: Monday 28th April 2025, 4pm
Interviews in person (online requests will be considered): Friday 9th May 2025
Scholarship start date: End June 2025
Information on the Scholarship is available on the TUS website: https://tus.ie/rdi/research/office/funded-research/
The application form is at the top right of the website.
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WORLD CIRCUS DAY 2025 🎪🌟 ROLL UP, ROLL UP! 🌟🎪
Get ready for an afternoon of fun, laughter & jaw-dropping circus performances at Roscommon World Circus Day! ✨
📅 Date: Saturday, 19th April 2025
⏰ Time: 2PM - 5PM
📍 Location: Somers Park, Castlerea
🎟 FREE ENTRY!
Join us for an incredible line-up featuring: 🎪 The Crazy Circus Show 🤹 Hoops, Juggling, Stilts & Aerial Acts 🪑 Sadbh Grehan Chair Acrobatics 🎭 Symmetry Circus 👨 Jake Fairbrother Ropes 🤸♂️ Washington Trapeze Act 😂 Sillyknees 🌀 Iryna Skakun Hoops 🤹♀️ Galway Community Circus … and much, much more! Expect workshops, music, food, face painting, balloons, and a whole lot of circus magic! 🎈🎵 Tag your friends, spread the word, and don’t miss out on this unforgettable celebration! 🎟✨ In association with Motion Chapel Ireland Castlerea Rose Festival
More information available here: https://www.roscommoncoco.ie/coco/en/services/community/arts-office/world-circus-day.html
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KING HOUSE 2025 & CULTURAL COMPANIONS EVENTS ___________________________________
SAVE THE DATE - WORLD CIRCUS DAY 2025 ___________________________________
The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has opened a Funding Scheme for applications from Local Authorities under the Pilot Artist Workspaces Scheme to increase the provision of artists’ workspaces (all artforms) across Ireland.
The primary focus of this pilot scheme is to provide funding to Local Authorities (who must also provide match funding) to enable them to provide additional capacity and availability of artist workspaces in their regions on a sustainable basis. Under this scheme Local Authorities are invited to propose projects which can accommodate and address the demand for artist workspaces in their regions and produce workspaces that are fit for purpose, design focused and accessible.
In order to prepare our application, Roscommon Arts Office wishes to ascertain the current demand and availability of artist workspaces in the County.
Please fill this short Artist Workspaces Survey
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TAP+ (Teacher Artist Partnership) 2024
Roscommon Artists / Creative Practitioners
Apply for TAP+ (Teacher Artist Partnership) via expressions of interest sent to the Director of Carrick on Shannon Education Support Centre (pmpache@carrickedcentre.ie) no later than 5pm on Friday 7th June 2024 . Expressions of interest should be in the form of a letter of max 600 words, accompanied by a CV or short bio with links to images or samples of relevant work.
The letter should outline:
Training institute/ organisation Brief description of practice Why you aim to work in education and in partnership teachers and children What qualifies you to undertake the TAP+ summer course training and residency programme
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Check out this year's Roscommon Bealtaine Festival Events Programme!
ROSCOMMON NEW WRITING AWARD 2024 and ROSCOMMON CHAPBOOK AWARD 2024 Open for Entries
For More Information Click Here
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Join us at World Circus Day this April! Somers Park, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon, Saturday 20 April 2024 - World Circus Day
As part of Planning for Outdoor Performance (POP) , World Circus Day facilitated by Roscommon County Arts Office in collaboration with local circus residency space Motion Chapel. Walkabouts and performances from some of Ireland's leading circus performers showing off their acrobatics and aerial skills plus try your hand at funambulism and circus skills workshops.
See the LINE UP for World Circus Day here!
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Circle of Life Public Art sculpture by Paul Harrison installed in Athleague! - February 2024
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New Roscommon County Council Arts Plan
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Thank you for Joining - Bealtaine Festival 2023
Bealtaine Festival Programme 2023
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Roscommon New Writing Awards 2023 Announcement
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Creative Heartlands Poetry into Film Bursaries 2023
Creative Ireland Programme 2023. Open to both established and emerging filmmakers and production companies, from or living in the region, to support the progression of an original Poetry into Film project in the region.
The ambition of the initiative is to see a work of film - however short - that is complementary to the original literary work, therefore not a literal translation. The raw material must be spoken word, song, poetry or a literary fragment . This is an opportunity for the filmmaker to express visually the essence of the literary work. Final films to be delivered in HD 1080p.
Four bursaries are available, each to the value of €4000. Films are to be delivered by 15th September 2023 for presentation at Adaptation Film Weekend (22-24th Sept 2023). (€3500 on award; €500 on completion and delivery)
A minimum of one film will be commissioned from each of the participating Sligo, Leitrim or Roscommon (SLR) counties.
The successful recipients can avail of the Creative Heartlands Project Editing and Shooting Equipment.
Applications are invited from practising film artists. The successful bursaries will be awarded based on information supplied in the application.
Eligibility:
You must be a professional practising film artist; although you might not earn income continuously or exclusively from your arts practice, applicants must identify themselves and be recognised by their peers as professional practising artists.
And
Applicants must have been born or currently live/work in the region: Sligo, Leitrim or Roscommon (SLR).
Assessment Criteria:
Artistic Quality (35%) How applications meet the objectives and priorities of the award (35%) Feasibility (30%) Deadline for applications is Midnight, Monday, 8th May, 2023
To make a submission, follow this link https://form-eu.123formbuilder.com/61874/poetry-into-film-2023
Successful applicants will be notified by 18th May
For any clarification please contact creativeheartlandsfilm@gmail.com
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Free poetry walks in Lough Key Forest & Activity Park
– and lovers of poetry –
are invited to participate in
POETRY IN THE PARK 2023
Poetry in the Park is an opportunity for poets and lovers of poetry to meet, to share their favourite poems, and to socialise. There will be a short walk, with stops along the way for the reading of poems. Immediately after the walk (which will be about an hour), we will take up residence at the Lough Key Tearooms for refreshments (at your expense), perhaps some more poetry, and plenty of chat.
You can bring along a poem that you have written, you can bring along a poem you love, or you can come along with no poems in tow and simply enjoy the walk, the poems, and the chat. Nature poems are particularly welcome, but if your favourite poem is about a grandfather clock, or a mother’s love, or about anything at all, really, that’s fine, as long as it’s suitable for sharing among young and old!
Due to the unpredictability of the weather, Poetry in the Park 2023 will take place when the forecast guarantees a rain-free day.
All walks will take place in Lough Key Forest & Activity Park. Meeting point will be at the Visitor Centre and starting time will be 2pm, unless otherwise advised. Walks will always be on a weekend, either a Saturday or a Sunday.
Anyone interested in joining the walks should let Gerry Boland know, either by phone [087-6397557] or by email [roscwir@gmail.com ]. Gerry will add you to a Poetry in the Park WhatsApp group and this is how you’ll be notified of upcoming walks. If for any reason you don’t wish to be part of a WhatsApp group, Gerry can advise you of upcoming walks either by text, or email, or both.
For information on these and other walks and trails in the county see https://www.visitroscommon.ie/brochures/Roscommon-Walks-Booklet.pdf
Poetry in the Park is funded by Roscommon County Council Creative Ireland Programme 2023 .
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Three Composers awarded the King House Piano Commission 2023 Roscommon County Council Arts Office is pleased to announce that composers, Bianca Gannon, Peter Leavy and Fiona Linnane are recipients of the King House Piano Commission 2023 Awards.
The 2023 Commission marks the third in a series of music commissions by Roscommon County Council, in celebration of the grand piano at King House, purchased in 1998 through the Arts Council of Ireland Joint Purchase Scheme. The commission is funded by the Arts Office of Roscommon County Council together with the Arts Council of Ireland, in collaboration with Boyle Arts Festival and in association with the Contemporary Music Centre.
Each composer has been awarded €2,500, together with additional supports, to write a 6-minute piano solo which responds to a literary text with a local theme. The three compositions will be premiered by Roscommon pianist, Peter Regan, at a concert during Boyle Arts Festival on Friday 28th July 2023.
Bianca Gannon is a composer-pianist, recently returned from fifteen years overseas, with a proven track record of delivering imaginative and moving works to international acclaim. Bianca will create a bespoke work responding to the mythology and landscape of Lough Key, where she holidayed as a child. The solo piano work Loch C é will take its inspiration from the section on Lough Key from Lady Gregory’s book Gods and Fighting Men .
Peter Leavy , an award-winning composer-pianist, is Head of Piano at the Leeson Park School of Music and a tutor at Maynooth University. The title of his work, The Last Flame , is taken from a first-hand account of the fire which destroyed Rockingham House in 1957. This dramatic testimony was written by local historian and watchmaker, Richard McGee (1930-2016), and was published in the Moylurg Writers second local history collection. Peter explains “The text is brilliantly written, full of drama, poetry, vivid description, and possessing a beautifully paced narrative; it is, in a sense, ready-made for a purely musical translation.”
Fiona Linnane will compose a musical journey from Boyle to Madanapalle, India - telling the remarkable story of Margaret Cousins (née Gillespie), culminating in an historic event outlined in the 1950 dual autobiography of James and Margaret Cousins We Two Together . Fiona is a composer based in Limerick, specialising in opera & vocal music and Director of Limerick New Music Ensemble.
Announcing the award, Arts Officer Rhona McGrath says she is “looking forward to working with the composers and with pianist Peter Regan as they prepare for this much anticipated event at Boyle Arts Festival 2023. Roscommon County Council is continually investing in King House as a highly valuable and important arts venue and visitor experience which offers an array of fascinating exhibitions for locals and visitors to our wonderful county.” Rhona went on to say, “The Main Salon with the Grand Piano is the heart and soul of King House and comes alive with performances day and night during Boyle Arts Festival.”
Roscommon County Council actively promotes and develops high quality, innovative arts activities and events across the county with many collaborative initiatives, programmes and opportunities for arts practitioners and audiences. The ethos of the King House Piano Commission is to celebrate the history and heritage of the county through uplifting, exceptional music, reflecting the lives of Roscommon people.
The Premiere will be at a concert on Friday 28th July at King House Boyle as part of Boyle Arts Festival (20th – 29th July 2023).
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The King House Piano Commission Roscommon County Council Music Commission 2023 The King House Piano Commission 2023 marks the third and final in a series of music commissions by Roscommon County Council, in celebration of the grand piano at King House. The Steinway Grand Piano was purchased by Roscommon County Council in 1998 through the Arts Council Joint Purchase Scheme. The commission will also celebrate the history and heritage of the county through uplifting, exceptional music, reflecting the lives of Roscommon people in 2023.
The first commission was awarded to Ryan Molloy and premiered online as part of Boyle Arts Festival in August 2021 – this is a link to the film https://youtu.be/mPj-oK2xkiM . The 2022 commission was awarded to Ronan Guilfoyle and was premiered live in concert as part of the Boyle Arts Festival https://youtu.be/TxvxfOEat50 .
This year’s commission invites composers to respond with a work for solo piano which is inspired by and responds to a text of the composer's choosing that has a connection to King House and/or Boyle and the environs. https://www.visitkinghouse.ie/ There will be three separate solo piano works chosen as part of the commissioning process to be premiered together in concert alongside readings of the texts which have inspired the new piano works. Each solo piano work will be a maximum of six minutes in length. The text chosen by the composer as inspiration for the instrumental work can be in Irish or English and from any genre of literature. The text should be included as part of the application.
The solo piano works will be performed and premiered by Roscommon pianist Peter Regan at the premiere at Boyle Arts Festival at 8pm on Friday 28th July 2023. Commissioned composers will be required to attend the premiere of the performance.
Peter Regan has played in venues internationally including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Dublin’s National Concert Hall and the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. Peter earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the Glenn Gould School of Music, Toronto studying under John O’Conor in 2018, and his M.Mus from the Royal College of Music having studied with Gordon Fergus-Thompson. Peter founded the Fulham Chamber Music Festival, London and the Roscommon Chamber Music Festival 2022.
As a concerto soloist, Peter has performed Mozart, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff and Grieg concertos with Camerata Ireland, the Hibernian Orchestra, the Dublin Orchestral Players and Artematica Orchestra. As a soloist and chamber musician he has played at the Clandeboye Festival, the West Wicklow Festival, Summer Music at Semley, the Pallant House Proms in Chichester and St. James’s Church Piccadilly.
Peter has won several national prizes and bursaries including the Huban, Heneghan, Harty, Benson, Nordell and Esposito Cups, the Morris Grant Cup and Bursary and the Mabel Swainson Pianoforte Award at Electric Ireland Feis Ceoil. At the Royal Irish Academy of Music he was a recipient of the Lucien and Maura Teissier Scholarship for Piano which enabled him to attend the Aspen Music Festival and School.
Completed applications should be emailed by 12 noon on January 11th 2023 to artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie
How to Apply: Roscommon County Council Arts Office invites professional composers to submit an application for consideration for this commission comprising:
Maximum two-page project proposal outlining the following:
o Artistic vision for a work of six minutes duration o Theme – literary and otherwise o Timeline Include literary text with application A current one-page CV, including examples of previous commissions. Links to recent work on recognised platforms such as YouTube, SoundCloud, Vimeo.
Applications should demonstrate the following:
Track record of composer. A work which reflects the 2023 commission literary theme and the overall objectives of being exceptional, uplifting, and relevant to Roscommon, in particular for 2023, King House and/or Boyle and the environs. High artistic merit. Clearly achievable in the timeframe and budget outlined.
Budget:
€2,500 composer fee to each composer for a 6-minute piece for solo piano. Composer fee to include composition and collaboration with pianist. Roscommon County Council will arrange one night accommodation for each composer on the night of the performance. And one return journey travel expenses will be reimbursed to each composer. During the development of the work, CMC will also provide a travel bursary of €200 per composer to enable collaboration with the pianist.
Points to note for applicants:
A maximum of three composers will be commissioned as part of the final King House Piano Commission 2023. The composers will have the option to workshop the commissioned piece with the pianist during March/April 2023, before final completion. The CMC bursary outlined above can be used towards the cost of workshopping the commissioned piece. This newly commissioned piece will form part of a high-profile concert in Boyle Arts Festival on Friday 28th July 2023 and will take place in the Main Salon in King House, home to the magnificent Steinway Grand Piano. Commissioned composers will be required to attend. The commission will be filmed and audio recorded to a high standard as all commissions will be archived and available on Roscommon County Council, King House and Boyle Arts Festival websites. A copy of the score shall be provided to the Contemporary Music Centre for the library and archive. Caroline Wynne, Artscope Ltd will be the designated Project Manager and liaison for this commission and the point of contact for the successful composers and performers. The decision regarding engaging performers from the Roscommon area for reading the text will be in discussion with the Project Manager. The commissioned composers will be selected by a panel with representation from Roscommon County Council, Boyle Arts Festival, Artscope and an independent expert. The panel will be chaired by CMC. All applicants will receive equal opportunity irrespective of gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, ethnicity or indigenous status. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Local & Live Performance Programming Scheme 2022
The Artist Café is back at Roscommon Arts Centre on Tuesday 6th September 11am-12.30. For this café, the Arts Office has invited cultural curator John O'Brien to lead a conversation with artists on Arts and Creativity in Roscommon.
One-time theatre producer, director and venue manager, John is now an independent consultant on policy and strategy in the arts, culture and creative sectors and a lecturer in Arts, Culture Policy and Arts Management.
All welcome for a stimulating conversation and the opportunity to network over a cuppa.
Book Via artscentre@roscommoncoco.ie
Local & Live Performance Programming Scheme 2022 Local & Live Performance Programming Scheme 2022
During the months of July to October, events will be taking place throughout the county that have been Funded by Roscommon County Council and the Department of Tourism Culture Arts Gaeltacht Sports and Media under the Local Live Performance Programming Scheme. Details of the events and ticketing information are listed below, with more coming soon. Should you have any further queries please email artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie
Download the programme here: Event Details and Ticket Information
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Boyle Destination Town - Public Art Commission 2022 - Sculpture Trail Roscommon County Council invites submissions from artists for one sculptural artwork as part of a Sculpture Trail. This Programme of Public Art Commissions is funded under Fáilte Ireland’s Developed and Emerging Destination Towns Capital Investment Programme
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION 4pm, Tuesday 31st May 2022
For full details click here: Boyle Sculpture Trail – Public Art Commission – Artist Call
ROSCOMMON BEALTAINE PROGRAMME 2022
ROSCOMMON CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS
Roscommon County Council are seeking applications for Roscommon Creative Conversations Programme. Additional information can be found here: Ros CC additional info.pdf (size 2.5 MB)
KNOCKCROGHERY TOWN & VILLAGE RENEWAL SCHEME PUBLIC ART COMMISSION 2022 ARTIST BRIEF
Roscommon County Council invites submissions from artists for an artistic installation in Knockcroghery to highlight the history and heritage of the village and surrounding areas. This Public Art Commission is funded under the Department of Rural & Community Development Town & Village Renewal Scheme. The scheme will provide a platform for artists to respond creatively to public space, to the history, heritage and community of Knockcroghery, creating an identity for the village.
For full information see HERE
Roscommon County Council Arts Office is in the process of redesigning and updating our Arts Office page on Roscommon County Council website to include an Artist Profile page.
If you are a professional artist and would like your information to be publicly shared on https://www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/Services/Community/Arts/ as an open platform for the presentation and promotion of County Roscommon artists please complete and return the Artist Profile Registration Form you will find Here artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie
Your artist profile on roscommoncoco.ie may significantly increase the number of people who see your work and find out about your arts practice. Your profile will include contact details, statement / biography with a selection of images and a link to your own website. A great way to showcase your artwork.
Call for participants: Making Music with The Unwanted Roscommon Teaching Residency Closing date for applications: 13th December 2021, at 2pm.
A shared learning opportunity for County Roscommon residents aged 60 and over, presented by Music Network and Roscommon County Council Arts Office
Music Network and Roscommon County Council Arts Office are inviting County Roscommon residents aged 60 and over to join an exciting music project with renowned group The Unwanted, featuring Cathy Jordan, Seamie O’Dowd and Rick Epping.
The focus of this project is on returning to playing an instrument and sharing the joy of group music-making. Participants can apply to receive tuition on fiddle, guitar, harmonica or bodhrán from members of The Unwanted between January and May 2022. Tuition is free of charge and instruments can be provided if necessary for the duration of the project. In addition to playing an instrument, there will also be plenty of opportunities to sing with Cathy, Seamie and Rick for any participants who enjoy singing.
Applicants must be aged 60 or over, resident in County Roscommon, and have some previous experience of playing music. The ability to read music is not essential. The project will be based primarily at King House, Boyle, but additional venues around the county may also be used. To apply, either visit www.musicnetwork.ie or phone Music Network’s Programmes Administrator Sarah Ledwidge on 083 0162718. Closing date for applications: 13th December 2021, at 2pm.
Commenting on the announcement, CEO of Music Network Sharon Rollston said: “We’re delighted to announce the call-out for this new Teaching Residency in partnership with Roscommon County Council Arts Office. This is a wonderful opportunity for people to rediscover the pleasure of playing a musical instrument. We are particularly pleased to have Cathy, Seamie and Rick on board as our ensemble-in-residence to support and inspire participants in equal measure.”
Arts Officer at Roscommon County Council, Rhona McGrath has welcomed the opportunity to partner with Music Network saying: “This is an amazing opportunity for people who might have played an instrument in the past and put it aside for various reasons. We are encouraging people to consider taking up those instruments again to learn and perform with one of our own, Cathy Jordan and with her band members from Sligo, all very well-known and respected nationally and internationally. I know it will be a very enjoyable musical journey in the company of new friends.”
Benefitting from the combined musical backgrounds of The Unwanted members Cathy Jordan (guitar, bodhrán), Seamie O’Dowd (guitar, fiddle), and Rick Epping (harmonica), the tuition programme will offer participants the opportunity to experience an array of musical styles and techniques. Between January and March 2022, participants will receive eight one-to-one instrumental lessons with the relevant member of The Unwanted, held primarily on Mondays. Group instrumental lessons will also be held on Mondays during April where participants will play in small groups with the relevant member of The Unwanted.
The project will conclude with three large ensemble sessions on 9th 16th and 23rd May, where all participants will join together with The Unwanted to play the music learned during the project (exact times of group lessons and ensemble sessions to be announced).
Please note, while the preference is for in-person events wherever possible, lessons may take place via video call if necessary, e.g. in line with public health directives. Technical support to enable online learning will be provided to participants if necessary.
Places are limited to 15. Priority will be given on a first come first served basis, however additional criteria that will be taken into account for selection include availability of teaching slots, availability of instruments, ability to partake in the full programme and geographical spread throughout the county. Closing date for applications: 13th December 2021, 2pm.
Making Music with The Unwanted: the Roscommon Teaching Residency is presented by Music Network and Roscommon County Council Arts Office. Music Network is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland. This initiative is supported by the Bank of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund in partnership with Business to Arts.
Key Project Dates, 2022* *Please note, some dates may change with the agreement of artists and participants
Introductory Session 5 January
Lesson 1
Lesson 2 17 January
Lesson 3 24 January
Lesson 4 31 January
Lesson 5 7 February
Coffee Session 1 14 February
Lesson 6 21 February
Lesson 7 28 February
Lesson 8 7 March
Coffee Session 2 23 March
Group Lesson 1 4 April
Group Lesson 2 11 April
Group Lesson 3 & Coffee Session 3 25 April
Ensemble Session 1 9 May
Ensemble Session 2 16 May
Ensemble Session 3 23 May
The King House Piano Commission Roscommon County Council Music Commission 2022
The King House Piano Commission 2022 marks the second in a series of music commissions by Roscommon County Council, in celebration of the grand piano at King House. The Steinway Grand Piano was purchased by Roscommon County Council in 1998 through the Arts Council Joint Purchase Scheme. The commission will also celebrate the history and heritage of the county through uplifting, exceptional music, reflecting the lives of Roscommon people.
The first commission was awarded to Ryan Molloy and premiered online as part of Boyle Arts Festival in August 2021 – this is a link to the film https://youtu.be/mPj-oK2xkiM .
The 2022 commission to the value of €8,000 is funded by the Arts Office of Roscommon County Council together with the Arts Council of Ireland, in collaboration with Boyle Arts Festival and in association with the Contemporary Music Centre.
The commission invites composers to respond with a work for small ensemble (3 players). This new work for small ensemble must include piano and should be developed in collaboration with a pianist or as a work with the composer as the pianist. The commission should consider the sonic fusion of classical and jazz genres. The piece will be premiered by the ensemble at a concert during Boyle Arts Festival 2022 (14th – 23rd July).
How to Apply:
Roscommon County Council Arts Office invites professional composers to submit an application for consideration for this commission comprising:
Maximum two-page project proposal outlining the following: Artistic vision Theme Concept and instrumentation Timeline Name of collaborating pianist The work should be 15-20mins duration. A current one-page CV for composer and for pianist, including examples of previous commissions. Links to recent work on recognised platforms such as YouTube, SoundCloud, Vimeo. Applications should demonstrate the following:
Track record of composer and pianist. A work which reflects the commission themes and objectives of being exceptional, uplifting, and relevant to Roscommon in 2022. High artistic merit. Clearly achievable in the timeframe and budget outlined.
Budget
€8,000 – Composer fee to include composition, collaboration with musicians, rehearsals and attendance at the performance. €1,500 – Pianist fee for collaboration, rehearsals and concert performance. If the commission is for composer as pianist, the above fees will be adjusted. A separate budget is available for ensemble players to work with the composer in King House, Boyle during March/April 2021 and for performance.
Points to note for applicants:
It is not necessary at this point to name the proposed ensemble musician(s), just the pianist. The composer will be required to make the initial approaches to the ensemble musicians for the performance of the completed work. Support and advice will be available from the Project Manager and the Arts Office. The composer will be required to have the commissioned piece ready to workshop with the ensemble in King House, Boyle during March/April 2022. This newly commissioned piece will form part of a high-profile concert in Boyle Arts Festival 2022 and will take place in the Main Salon in King House, home to the magnificent Steinway Grand Piano. The commission will be filmed and audio recorded to a high standard as all commissions will be archived and available on Roscommon County Council & King House websites. A copy of the score shall be provided to the Contemporary Music Centre for the library and archive. Caroline Wynne, Artscope Ltd will be the designated Project Manager and liaison for this commission and the point of contact for the successful composer and musicians. The commissioned composer will be selected by a panel with representation from Roscommon County Council, Boyle Arts Festival, Artscope and an independent expert. The panel will be chaired by CMC. Completed applications should be emailed by 12 noon on Monday 29th November to artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie with the subject King House Piano Commission.
Speed meeting for slow art projects… Roscommon Arts Office with Age & Opportunity’s Bealtaine Festival wish to facilitate a (virtual) meeting between older person organisations and local professional artists, where they can chat about creative ideas and see if there is potential to work together in the future. If you are an artist or representative of an older person’s organisation or work in an older person care setting and would like to attend, please get in touch.
AO _ Roscommon Bealtaine networking - ORGANISATIONS call out.docx (size 539.4 KB)
Sraith na Búille King House Piano Commission 2021/2021
Roscommon County Council Arts Office is pleased to introduce Sraith na Búille (The Boyle Suite) composed by Ryan Molloy, performed by Ryan Molloy (piano), Mossie Martin (fiddle), Steph Geremia (classical and traditional flute) and Alan Kelly (piano accordion). Sraith na Búille merges the worlds of classical and traditional with uplifting, exceptional music, marking another extraordinary year in our lives and in the arts.
VIDEO
The commission is the first in a series in celebration of the Steinway Grand Piano at King House, purchased by Roscommon County Council in 1998 through the Arts Council Joint Purchase Scheme. Funded by the Arts Office of Roscommon County Council together with the Arts Council of Ireland, in collaboration with Boyle Arts Festival and in association with the Contemporary Music Centre.
The piece is introduced by the composer, musicians and Arts Officer. The suite begins at 9:22.
CALL FOR ARTISTS (ALL ART FORMS)
Roscommon County Council is looking for artists (all art forms) to join the Artist Panel for 2021-2023. Artists and practitioners wishing to work in Arts Participation contexts including Arts & Education, Arts & Health, Arts & Disability, Arts & Older People, Arts & Cultural Diversity, Arts & Communities, across all art-forms, are invited to apply. There will be two categories - Experienced Artists and Emerging Artists. All artists on the panel will be contacted by Roscommon County Council to submit proposals for arts participation programmes as they arise during that period.
Arts participation is a core value across all areas of the work of Roscommon County Council Arts Office and Roscommon Arts Centre, aligning with The Arts Council of Ireland’s understanding of arts participation ‘to include a broad range of practice where individuals or groups collaborate with skilled artists to make or interpret art. The practice involves a mutually beneficial two-way engagement that nurtures and values the different ideas, experiences and skills of all involved.’ See http://www.artscouncil.ie/Arts-in-Ireland/Arts-participation/Overview
Criteria
Experienced artists must have a track record of a minimum of two years professional practice in any art form in Arts Participation. We are particularly looking for artists experienced in delivering programmes in primary and secondary schools. Emerging artists must demonstrate an interest in Arts Participation and willing to work alongside an experienced artist for a period of time. Some evidence of engagement to date is desirable. Artists must demonstrate a commitment to Arts Participation and to enhancing the lives of participants through arts practice. Artists must be willing to keep informed about current practice and to work in partnership with health practitioners, educators and community leaders. Artists should demonstrate that they combine a sense of fun, joy and collaboration with professional dedication and high artistic vision. Artists must live within reasonable commuting distance of County Roscommon. Travel expenses are not paid in addition to artist fees. It is essential that successful applicants undertake child protection/vulnerable adult training and undergo Garda vetting by Roscommon County Council before taking up project placements. In addition to opportunities to work on Arts Participation projects, artists on the panel will also be informed of training and other artist supports and opportunities offered by Roscommon Council, Roscommon Arts Centre and other national programmes.
How to Apply
Expressions of interest should be emailed to Roscommon County Council Arts Office in the form of a short 1-page letter, accompanied by a 1 page biography or CV and 2-3 images or links to samples of relevant work. The letter should set out:
A brief description of your training and practice. Why you might wish to work in Arts Participation, with reference to previous similar work if applicable. To be considered, please adhere to the above format for applications. Successful artists will be expected to attend networking and training events in early Autumn 2021.
For further information, email artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie or artscentre@roscommoncoco.ie.
Expressions of Interest must be emailed to artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie by Monday 27th September 2021 with the subject ‘Roscommon Artist Panel – Arts Participation ’
Poetry Comes to Town… Strokestown Poetry Town begins 10th September
Strokestown will take part in Poetry Town, an initiative from Poetry Ireland in partnership with Roscommon County Council Arts Office. An exciting range of activities will take place around the town and online over 9 days from 10-18 September. Download the Programme at this link: Programe Strokestown PoetryTown.docx (size 14.6 KB)
20 towns across the island of Ireland are participating in Poetry Town, a celebration of the pride, strength and diversity of towns, with more than 100 free activities lined up across all the towns.
Each Poetry Town has a Poet Laureate, who is either from the respective local area or who has strong connections to it. They have been commissioned to write a poem honouring and reflecting their Poetry Town and its people. The Poet Laureate for Strokestown is Noelle Lynskey, who will be unveiling her Town Poem on Roscommon Library Facebook page on Culture Night Friday 17th September. The poem will be available to read on the Poetry Town website in the days following the event.
Further activities will include a series of poetry events involving local poets and community groups including a Tour of Strokestown Heritage Trail with poetry readings, hosted by the Strokestown Community Development Association on Saturday 11 September 4pm; Poetry Underfoot at Bawn Street where artist Siobhan Cox-Carlos will create a ‘rain paint’ installation for the week of Poetry Town (10-18 Sept), incorporating lines from a Roscommon inspired poem; and on Sunday 12 September at 12 Noon a Poetry Nature Walk led by writer Gerry Boland through the woodlands at Strokestown Park House. At all events, people are encouraged to come along and recite a favourite poem or their own poems. A number of workshops will take place with schools and community groups throughout the week as well as Pocket Poems to take away from cafés and pharmacies.
Strokestown events are coordinated by Anne O’Leary in association with the Arts Office and Poetry Ireland.
The full programme of activities for Strokestown is available on the Poetry Town website at: https://www.poetryireland.ie/poetry-town/strokestown/town-details/activities
August Spectacular at Boyle Abbey
At the Abbey , Saturday 14th August from 9.30pm
Booking opens Wed 11
Watch Official Promo here
Roscommon County Council Arts Office in association with Boyle Arts Festival, the OPW and Heritage Week 2021 will host “At the Abbey” on Saturday 14th August - a dance, music, film, projections and lighting effects event, live from Boyle Abbey. The event is funded by the Local Live Performance Programming Scheme at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. A second event “At the Castle” will take place at Loughnaneane Park, Roscommon Town, on Culture Night Friday 17th September.
Stunning film by Emma Brennan will be projected onto the walls of the atmospheric ruins of Boyle Abbey, portraying a new dance piece choreographed by renowned contemporary dance artist Mintesinot Wolde and local dancers, with music composed by Emma Brennan and performed by local musicians. Projections and lighting have been devised by Algorithm Productions who bring their expertise to the local team in creating and devising this unique show. The live show takes place at 9.30pm on August 14th followed by projections and lighting until 11.30pm.
Roscommon County Council has been allocated funding by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Local Live Performance Programming Scheme 2021 to programme outdoor live performances in summer 2021. Arts Officer Rhona McGrath explains “this is part of a suite of COVID-19 measures by the government to support the commercial live performance sector . The funding enables local authorities to manage and support performances by local performers, technical teams and event organisers, and to bring high quality performances to the public in a safe manner, outdoors, this summer. ” At the Abbey is the opening event for Heritage Week 2021.
Mintesinot Wolde is a contemporary dancer, choreographer, teacher and member of Dance Ireland. He has a Masters in Contemporary Dance Performance from the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance at the University of Limerick and has worked on numerous performances with notable Irish dance choreographers. Now based in Roscommon, Mintesinot has established his own company. For these events, Mintesinot has engaged dancers Victoria Walker, Kate Lohan, Carol Ann Farrelly, Patri Savoie and Robin Wilson.
Emma Brennan, from Roscommon, is a composer, actor, photographer, filmmaker and award-winning director and producer. She tutors in the Michael Chekhov Method in Dublin and is the founder of The Actor Lab. Emma holds an M. Phil in Music & Media Technologies from Trinity College, Dublin. For these productions, Emma has engaged musicians John and Liz Wynne flute, Padraig McGovern & Leonard Barry uilleann pipes, Barra O Flanniagh percussion, John Joe Kelly bodhrán and Mossie Martin fiddle.
Tickets are free but booking is essential for the live show at 9.30pm via www.boylearts.com . Booking opens Wednesday 11th August at Noon.
The projections can be viewed from 10pm until 11.30pm without booking.
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Sraith na Búille Online Music Premiere for Boyle Arts Festival 14th August 2021
Dr Ryan Molloy is the first recipient of the King House Piano Commission 2020/21 , marking the first in a series of music commissions by Roscommon County Council. The commission is in celebration of the Steinway Grand Piano at King House, purchased by Roscommon County Council in 1998 through the Arts Council Joint Purchase Scheme.
Arts Officer, Rhona McGrath announced “Due to the ongoing Covid restrictions, the premiere will be filmed in the Main Salon where the Grand Piano is at the heart and soul of King House, and streamed to audiences around the world on August 14th. Sraith na Búille merges the worlds of classical and traditional with uplifting, exceptional music, marking another extraordinary year in our lives and in the arts. “ In a further link to King House, Ryan draws on six artworks from the Boyle Civic Art Collection for inspiration, two of which have local significance ‘Winter Field & Trees near Croghan’ by Malachy Costello and ‘Island Lough Key’ by Nick Miller. Since its inception in 1990, the Boyle Civic Art Collection has grown to be widely considered one of the most important civic collections in the country, managed by the trustees and housed at King House.
Composer/pianist Ryan Molloy notes “In some ways, Sraith na Búille (The Boyle Suite) is a traditional version of the Russian composer Mussorgky's Pictures at an Exhibition. In this piece, the composer wanders through an art exhibition (which results in a recurring Promenade theme in the piece) and responds musically to various paintings he encounters there. In the same way, Sraith na Búille is my journey through the Boyle Civic Art Collection, beginning with a musical journey into Roscommon, encountering some of its famous musical connections, on into Boyle and into the gallery itself. The subsequent musical journey follows the four seasons of the year, responding to paintings that clearly evoke the colours and moods of the local landscape throughout our varied climate (which in this piece even warrants the insertion of an extra season between Spring and Summer!). It has been a pleasure to work with musicians Alan Kelly, Steph Geremia and Mossie Martin on this new work, bringing as they do such a deep-rooted understanding of traditional music, which is so central to my music, and also their equally deep-rooted connection to Roscommon.
Sraith na Búille will premiere on Saturday 14th August at 12 noon on www.boylearts.com and will be available to view for a number of weeks here and at www.visitkinghouse.ie .
Funded by the Arts Office of Roscommon County Council together with the Arts Council of Ireland, in collaboration with Boyle Arts Festival and in association with the Contemporary Music Centre.
Roscommon County Council Bealtaine Programme 2021 Conversations in Portrait: An online exhibition of virtual portraits in Roscommon by artist Andy Parsons. May 1st – 31st. http://www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/Services/Community/Creative-Ireland/Conversations-in-Portrait/
Roscommon Creative Conversations: Short creative engagements between artists and participants in a nursing home or a household. If you are interested in taking part in this programme, or would like further information, please contact us at artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie / Telephone (09066) 37271
Midwives of the Nation- Join Carnation Theatre in a performance which follows the women of 1916 Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd May 2021. Online all day https://roscommonartscentre.ie/ Presented by Roscommon County Council Arts Office and Library Service
John Carty Teatime Tunes- Monday 17th to Sunday 23rd May @ 5.30pm traditional musician, John Carty, will play a tune a day at tea time from the kitchen of his home near Boyle, Co. Roscommon Find them here on John’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Johnpatrickcarty
Bealtaine Festival Roscommon: Celebrating Creativity as we Age 1st to 31st May 2021
Call Out for Participants for 1 to 1 Creative Conversations
Short creative engagements between artists and older participants in a nursing home or a household
Each session is for approx. 15 minutes. Book before April 16th . To book your creative engagement Email artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie Telephone (09066) 37271. Places are limited.
Creative Gardening with Catherine Kelly Desmond, Visual Artist
Catherine will share drawings through a series of letters or zoom calls discussing the artist and participant’s interest in gardening and nature.
Creative Journaling with Catherine Fanning, Visual Artist
Receive a bespoke artist journal which contains images, text and illustrations. A letter from Catherine and a stamped addressed card will invite the recipient to put pen to paper and let the artist know what sections of the journal you enjoyed most.
Creative Writing with Jessamine O’Connor, Writer
Work with Jessamine on a poem or short piece about your experience of the last year, and relating it to other years. This activity will take place daily during the week of May 24th .
Creative Exchange with Louise Shine, Visual Artist
Artist and participant barter a story or a skill exchange.
Creative Package with Naomi Draper, Visual Artist
Naomi will send send materials to the participant by post and then explore this further through a Zoom call. She will use natural materials found in the landscape, that connect us with traditional craft making processes.
Creative Postcards with Susan Mannion, Visual Artist
Receive a series of creative postcards from Susan and respond by letter, telephone or zoom.
Creative History with Anne-Marie O’Sullivan, Actress
Professional actress Anne-Marie O’Sullivan will share extracts from the diary and letters of Olive Hales Pakenham Mahon, recently discovered in Strokestown Park House & Museum. This exchange can take place by telephone or zoom each Friday afternoon during May.
Roscommon County Council & First Fortnight Festival presents Mental Health Matters for Artists In 2020, the world was faced with an unprecedented health crisis which left people faced with enormous loss – loss of future, loved ones, health, income, connection and confidence. In this session, Psychotherapist Mary Mullins will outline how important it is to become aware of, and address, our own mental health in these challenging times. She will look at the importance of changing what is within our control - if it is not serving us well - and managing that which is outside of our control. Mary believes that no amount of worry will change the future and no amount of regret will change the past. Mary will present coping strategies which can help towards the development and maintenance of positive mental health. She will do all of this by touching on complex issues such as Depression, Anxiety, Grief, Bereavement and Loss and Stigma surrounding mental health. This session will engage with writers whose works were shortlisted for the New Roscommon Writing Award 2020 and are relevant to this discussion - Anne Byrne (winner), Helen Cunningham (runner-up) and Margaret Deehan.
Presented by Roscommon County Council Arts Office as part of First Fortnight Festival, supported by Healthy Ireland Keep Well Campaign. Click on the video below to watch in full.
Conversations in Portrait in Roscommon
A call out for Roscommon people age 70+ interested in participating in a virtual portrait sitting with artist Andy Parsons
As part of the government’s ‘Keep Well’ Community Resilience Campaign, Roscommon County Council and artist Andy Parsons are looking for four new participants in our Virtual Portrait Project 2021 . We are looking for people in County Roscommon, age 70+ who are in a care home or cocooning at home, missing their social and cultural activities and interested in making new connections at this time. During these sessions, Andy will paint their portrait while getting to know each person and how they have responded to Covid. On completion, the portrait will be delivered to the sitter to keep, and it is hoped that a small number of close family, friends or staff will be invited to view the portrait, depending on Covid restrictions at the time. Portraits will also be exhibited in digital form on Roscommon County Council website and facebook page.
To take part, you would need to have some way to access a computer or phone for a video zoom call for two to three mornings. There are four places available and we are hoping for a balance of people across the county, living at home or in a care home in the county, male and female.
Please register interest by emailing rmcgrath@roscommoncoco.ie before Friday 29th January 2021 with the subject ‘Conversations in Portrait’. We will require details of the participant’s name, age, place of residence and a few sentences about their experience of cocooning or living with Covid. Note there will be 2-3 sittings of approx. 60-90 minutes.
Part of the KEEP WELL campaign being delivered in the county by Roscommon County Council and Healthy Ireland, an initiative of the Government of Ireland with funding from the Healthy Ireland Fund and the Sláintecare fund delivered by Pobal.
Attached are photos of the sitters with their portraits from the Creativity in Older Age Virtual Portrait Project 2020: Rosaleen Callery (above on zoom call with artist), Maisie Lyons, Paddy Horan, Noel Higgins
Ryan Molloy announced as composer for the King House Piano Commission 2020/21
Roscommon County Council Arts Office is pleased to announce that composer Ryan Molloy is the first recipient of this new Award. The King House Piano Commission 2020/21 marks the first in a series of music commissions by Roscommon County Council, in celebration of the grand piano at King House. The Steinway Grand Piano was purchased by Roscommon County Council in 1998 through the Arts Council Joint Purchase Scheme.
The 2020 commission to the value of €8,000 is funded by the Arts Office of Roscommon County Council together with the Arts Council of Ireland, in collaboration with Boyle Arts Festival and in association with the Contemporary Music Centre.
Accepting the award, Ryan Molloy has said ‘I am honoured to have been selected for the King House Piano Commission and look forward to working on the new piece. I feel that the commission's themes of embracing the traditional and classical worlds, as well as local and national heritage, resonate strongly with my own performance practice and compositional voice. The call for proposals caused me to reflect on the many composer-performers that have emerged from traditional Irish music - many of whom shaped the music for future generations, from Turlough O’Carolan to Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin - and of how challenging one’s own performance can lead to new compositional ideas. I hope to explore this composer-performer duality through the course of this new work and to challenge my fellow musicians as well as myself!”
Announcing the award, Arts Officer Rhona McGrath says she is ‘looking forward to working with the composer, the musicians, Boyle Arts Festival and Caroline Wynne, project manager. King House is a stunning venue, with an array of fascinating exhibitions, in a charming historic and cultural quarter of Boyle. The Main Salon and the Grand Piano are the heart and soul of King House and fittingly all corridors lead there. We look forward to those corridors and rooms being filled again with the sounds and sights of Boyle Arts Festival in 2021. The commission, to be premiered during the festival, will merge the worlds of classical and traditional music, celebrating the history and heritage of the county through uplifting, exceptional music, reflecting the lives of Roscommon people.’
INVITATION
Towards Hospitable Creative Practices
Live Zoom Discussion Event
Friday 27 November 2020, 10:00 - 12:30
Ground Up Artists invite you to an online round table discussion that aims to share and disseminate insights and learning from the Tar Isteach project which engaged with ‘New Irish’ residents and citizens in Salthill, Galway City, Lisdoonvarna Co. Clare and Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon via a series of encounters, meetings and workshops.
Hosted by Bealtaine / Age & Opportunity and Co Hosts: Commission Partners, Clare County Council, Galway City Council & Roscommon County Council Arts Services.
To register see: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/tar-isteach-roundtable-towards-hospitable-creative-practices-tickets-128110230147
As the project reaches its conclusion, the artists now wish to revisit their original questions, informed by the research of their practice.
- Who speaks? Who gains? Who has leverage?
- Can creating a poetic space support wellbeing for some?
- How can artists remain ‘apart from’ as opposed to ‘part of’ the current system of provision?
We welcome artists and cultural workers, those working to further cultural equality and diversity, human rights and social activists, New Irish residents and citizens to attend.
Chair: Ronit Lentin
Keynote Speaker: Tania Cañas, Arts Director, RISE Refugee, Australia
Ground Up Artist's Collective artists : Maeve Collins, Monica de Bath and Julie Griffiths.
Roundtable Guests:
Tara Byrne, Artistic Director, Bealtaine Festival / Age & Opportunity
Áine Crowley, Programme Manager, Arts & Engagement, CREATE
James Harrold Arts Officer, Galway City Council
Ellie Kisyombe founder, Our Table
Salome Mbugua, Head of Operations and Strategy, AkiDwA
Rhona McGrath, Arts Officer, Roscommon County Council.
Siobhan, Mulcahy Arts Officer, Clare County Council
Vukašin Nedeljkoviić , Artist & Researcher
Evgeny Shtorn, CREATE Cultural Diversity Researcher, Writer and LGBTQ Activist
Helene O'Donoghue, Senior Curator, Head of Engagement & Learning, IMMA
Event Manager: Monica Flynn, Visual Art Curator / Bealtaine Festival
Platform 31 Platform 31 is a nationwide artist development scheme by the 31 Local Authority Arts Offices, in collaboration with the Arts Council of Ireland.
Artists of all disciplines are invited to apply. There are two elements of support for participating artists in the scheme: financial and developmental. Participating artists will receive an €8,000 bursary to invest in themselves and their practice, combined with participation in an advisory and developmental framework and a peer network. Closing date November 30th 2020. For more info visit platform31.localartsireland.ie
Culture Night 2020
The full programme is available to download at the following link: Culture Night Roscommon 2020.pdf (size 321.9 KB)
Website: https://culturenight.ie/events/roscommon
Facebook: @roscommonculturenight
Twitter: @culturenightros
New Roscommon Writing Award 2020 - Shortlist (winners to be announced at an awards ceremony subject to covid-19 guidelines)
A ROSCOMMON BROADSHEET poems, song lyrics, flash fiction
Roscommon County Council Arts Office is seeking submissions from poets, songwriters and fiction writers for poems, song lyrics and flash fiction to be included in the forthcoming ROSCOMMON BROADSHEET (working title).
The broadsheet will be published before the end of the year and will include poems, song lyrics and flash fiction by Roscommon poets, songwriters and fiction writers.
The emphasis of the broadsheet will be on unpublished work, however previously published work will be read and considered.
To qualify for submission, writers and poets must have a strong Roscommon connection (born in, living in, working in, parents or grandparents from).
Roscommon poets are being invited to submit poems no longer than 60 lines in length (there is no minimum line length).
Roscommon songwriters are invited to submit song lyrics no longer than 60 lines (there is no minimum line length).
Roscommon fiction writers are invited to submit flash fiction pieces with a maximum word limit of 300 for each story submitted.
Poets, songwriters and fiction writers may submit up to three written pieces in total. This can be three poems, three song lyrics or three flash fiction pieces. Or the submission can be a combination of all three, i.e. a poem, a song lyric and a flash fiction piece.
All submissions must include the writer’s name and contact details, plus confirmation that the work is the original work of the writer. Please also state if the submitted work has been published elsewhere and if so, where and when.
Email all submissions to artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday, 11th September, 2020. Enquiries to roscwir@gmail.com
A ROSCOMMON BROADSHEET is edited by Roscommon County Council Literary Programme Advisor, Gerry Boland, with guest editor Jane Clarke.
Call for Artists (All Art Forms) Roscommon County Council will create a new Artist Panel for 2020-2021. Artists and practitioners wishing to work in Arts Participation contexts including Arts & Education, Arts & Health, Arts & Disability, Arts
Arts participation is a core value across all areas of the work of Roscommon County Council Arts Office and Roscommon Arts Centre, aligning with The Arts Council of Ireland’s understanding of arts participation ‘to include a broad range of practice where individuals or groups collaborate with skilled artists to make or interpret art. The practice involves a mutually beneficial two-way engagement that nurtures and values the different ideas, experiences and skills of all involved.’ See http://www.artscouncil.ie/Arts-in-Ireland/Arts-participation/Overview
Criteria
Experienced artists must have a track record of a minimum of three years professional practice in any art form in Arts Participation.Emerging artists must demonstrate an interest in Arts Participation. Some evidence of engagement to date is desirable but not essential.Emerging artists must be willing to work alongside an experienced artist for a period of time.Artists must demonstrate a commitment to Arts Participation and to enhancing the lives of participants through arts practice. Artists must be willing to keep informed about current practice and to work in partnership with health practitioners, educators and community leaders. Artists should demonstrate that they combine a sense of fun, joy and collaboration with professional dedication and high artistic vision. Artists must live within reasonable commuting distance of County Roscommon. It is essential that successful applicants undertake child protection/vulnerable adult training and undergo Garda vetting by Roscommon County Council before taking up project placements. In addition to opportunities to work on Arts Participation projects, artists on the panel will also be informed of training and other artist supports and opportunities offered by Roscommon Council, Roscommon Arts Centre and other national programmes.
How to Apply
Expressions of interest should be emailed to Roscommon County Council Arts Office in the form of a short letter of max 600 words, accompanied by a short bio with links to images or samples of relevant work. The letter should set out:
A brief description of your training and practice. Why you might wish to work in Arts Participation, with reference to previous similar work if applicable. Successful artists will be expected to attend networking and training events in early Autumn 2020.
For further information, email artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie or artscentre@roscommoncoco.ie.
Expressions of Interest must be emailed to artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie by Friday 7th August 2020 with the subject ‘Roscommon Artist Panel – Arts Participation ’
Roscommon County Council | Áras an Chontae | Roscommon | F42 VR98
Boyle Arts Festival Open Exhibition Boyle Arts Festival: On-Line Open Art Exhibition 2020
Boyle Arts Festival is highly regarded for its visual arts and comprehensive programme of events. As part of the Festival the Open Art Exhibition is extremely popular, showcasing the diverse and exciting styles
While we are extremely disappointed that the Boyle Arts Festival will not be proceeding this year, the committee has engaged in a new platform to support artists in these challenging times. We encourage artists of all genres to submit a piece of art to be included in our online showcase.
Due to the expected high level of interest, we are limiting only one submission per artist. Please sent a high quality image of your submission (up close, include frame if there is one and avoid glass glare) and send it via email by 5pm on MON JULY 13th to patricia@unabhan.ie
Please state in the email :
1. The Title of piece
2. Medium
3. Size (including frame – there is no maximum size this year)
4. Price
5. Artist Website or Social Media (if you have one)
We sincerely hope that this Exhibition will help to further promote artists during these uncertain times.
Boyle Arts Festival Committee would like to acknowledge and thank the Arts Council of Ireland for their ongoing support.
If your piece is sold, it will be your responsibility to organize the collection or delivery with the buyer .
Connaught Rangers Podcast
Members of the 1st Battalion of the Connaught Rangers in India, 1920. The leader of the mutiny, James Daly, is bottom right. (King House Museum, Boyle)
On 28 June 1920, five men from C Company of the 1st Battalion of the Connaught Rangers led a mutiny in Jalandhar, Punjab, in protest against martial law in Ireland. Following their
surrender a few days later, 88 mutineers were court-martialled, of whom 77 were imprisoned; the leader, James Daly, was executed. The imprisoned mutineers were released
in 1923; they returned to Ireland, and in 1936 were granted State pensions. In 1970 the remains of James Daly and two other mutineers were repatriated from India.
Listen to Tommy Graham , editor of History Ireland , discuss the complex web of issues arising from these events and their commemoration both in 1970 and today with
John Gibney, Cécile Gordon, Brian Hanley and Kate O’Malley .
Available on www.historyireland.com/podcast-channel/ and https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-ireland/id1503109266 or wherever you get your podcasts.
Full details of the podcast are available here: Media info Connaught Rangers History Ireland CU Podcast.pdf.pdf (size 4.6 MB)
Writer Mentorship Programme Roscommon County Council is pleased to announce details of its 2020 WRITER MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME. The annual award is designed to support the development of emerging and established Roscommon writers who have identified particular gaps in their knowledge and expertise. The programme achieves this by providing funding to a professional writer to help the successful applicant make the next steps in their development.
A mentor will provide an objective critique and feedback on the successful applicant’s work and/or assist her/him in the development of a specific writing project. The focus of the mentor can be on short-term objectives, such as completing a manuscript, or it can be on longer-term goals that the mentee may wish to explore. The mentor’s role is to help the mentee resolve issues and find answers to their own questions rather than resolving issues by providing the answers directly.
The programme provides a fee of €500 which is paid directly to the mentor. For this the mentee should expect to benefit from ten hours of mentor engagement, to include at the minimum four hours face-to-face, the remainder given over to review of work by the mentor. How the ten hours is to be divided up will be decided at the outset by both mentor and mentee.
Requirements:
· The programme is open to writers whose practice is based in Co. Roscommon.
· The mentorship must be completed before 31 January 2021.
· Completed application forms must be accompanied by an up to date C.V. plus a one-page outline detailing why and in what specific way the applicant will benefit from being mentored.
Writer Mentorship Programme - Application Form.doc (size 668.2 KB)
Completed applications should be returned along with additional information by email to artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie or in an envelope marked ‘Writer Mentorship Programme’ to Roscommon County Council Arts Office, Civic Offices, Roscommon, Co. Roscommon. The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday 04 September, 2020.
For further information, contact abutler@roscommoncoco.ie
Cathaoirleach's Awards
The Cathaoirleach, Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice, is asking you to capture an image which responds to the theme “My Roscommon - We’re in this Together ”
Using smartphones or cameras, take a picture and submit it as part of Cathaoirleach’s Award Programme 2020 . Images will be selected for publication/exhibition and a number of awards will be made. Entries must be in by the 2nd June 2020 .
To submit your entry and for further guidelines go to: www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/Services/Community/Creative-Ireland/Cathaoirleach-s-Awards/
or to submit online via My Online Services go to Cathaoirleach's Award - Apply Now
The Cathaoirleach’s Award is supported by the Creative Ireland Programme, an all-of-Government five-year initiative, from 2017 to 2022, which places creativity at the centre of public policy. Further information from creative.ireland.ie and ireland.ie
Prize Fund €500
Prizes in 3 Categories:
Child: Up to 12 years
Young Person: 13-17 years
Adult: 18 years and over.
Cruinniú na nÓg Unleash your creative spirit!
Cruinniú na nÓg takes place on Saturday 13th June . It is Ireland’s national day of creative activity for children and young people – and entire families. So get ready to answer the call, to celebrate your creative talents, and to share them with the nation. It’s a day for doing, making and creating.
Check out the fantastic events organised for you by Roscommon County Council Arts Office, Heritage Office and Library Service, Roscommon Arts Centre, Music Generation Roscommon and Roscommon County Youth Theatre at https://cruinniu.creativeireland.gov.ie/ .
In order to make the event happen this year, most activities are online and there’s an element of getting out and about too with tutorials to encourage heritage explorations within your own 5km! These are just some of the events which require action before the 13th June.
BOOKING DETAILS
This is Me: Children’s Portraiture Exhibition at Roscommon Arts Centre
Read details at https://roscommonartscentre.ie/
Closing Date for entries: Wednesday 3rd June
Brickflicks: Stop Motion with Lego Animation Course with Roscommon Arts Centre
Apply/Register at https://roscommonartscentre.ie/
Dates: From week of May 25th
One Voice: Virtual Cruinniú Choir with Roscommon Arts Centre
Sign up at https://roscommonartscentre.ie/
Dates: From May 29th
Digital Photography Exhibition with Roscommon County Youth Theatre
Life in retrospect through the eyes of a young person
Register by emailing roscommoncoyt@gmail.com
Sign Up by Monday May 25th. Closing date for entries Monday 8th June.
Music Generation Roscommon Zoom Workshops
Ukulele, Electric Guitar, Traditional Flute/Whistle, Jazz, Singing
Register by emailing MusicGenerationRoscommon@gretb.ie
Be part of the Roscommon Story. Contact Roscommon County Council to let them know how you get on afterwards. Send a drawing, photograph, poem, story or letter about your day by email to creativeireland@roscommoncoco.ie.
Cruinniú na nÓg is an initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme at the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and is presented in partnership with RTÉ and Roscommon County Council.
https://cruinniu.creativeireland.gov.ie
WRAP FUND WRAP Fund Development Investment Deadline Announced
Applications are now being accepted by the Western Region Audiovisual Producers Fund (WRAP) for development investment for a film, television, animation or game project. Up to €15,000 is available to teams with an eligible project where at least one producer/developer has a company established in the WRAP Region (Clare, Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo). The accumulated amount of investment (across multiple projects) to any one production company/developer is capped at €25,000.
The deadline for applications is 5pm, Wednesday 17th June 2020 . Applicants are advised to consult the detailed information and updated guidelines available HERE in advance of making a submission.
The Western Region Audiovisual Producers Fund (WRAP Fund) is an initiative of the Western Development Commission and Galway Film Centre in association with the local authorities of Clare, Donegal, Galway City, Galway County, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo and Údarás na Gaeltachta.
#WRAPFund #wraptalent #LookWest
NEW ROSCOMMON WRITING AWARD 2020 First Prize: €500
The NEW ROSCOMMON WRITING AWARD 2020 is organised as part of the county’s literature development programme. It is funded by Roscommon County Council and The Arts Council, and supported by the Roscommon Herald and by Shannonside FM.
The winner will receive a monetary prize of €500 and will have their winning entry printed in the Roscommon Herald. It will also be broadcast on Shannonside FM. (Four runners-up will receive €100 each).
Closing date for entries is 15th July 2020. Enquiries to: artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie
Competition Rules
Short stories only will be accepted. The competition is open to anyone over 18. All entrants must have a connection with the county of Roscommon (born in, living in, currently working in, went to school in). Previous first prize winners may enter but will not be eligible for the first prize. Writers may enter up to two stories. Typed entries (handwritten entries cannot be accepted) must be no more than 2000 words. Mark the number of words in your entry on the bottom of the page. Entries over the 2000 word limit will be automatically disqualified. Include your name, address and contact details, plus your connection to the county. INCLUDE THESE ON A SEPARATE PAGE, NOT ON YOUR ENTRY. There is no entry fee. Entries will be accepted from 1st March 2020. All entries must be received by 15th July 2020. The competition will be adjudicated by Orla Kelly of The Reading Room Bookshop, Carrick-on-Shannon. The judge’s decision is final. Post your entry to: NEW ROSCOMMON WRITING AWARD 2020, Roscommon Arts Office, Áras an Chontae,Roscommon, F42 VR98. You may also email your entry to: artsofficer@roscommoncoco.ie .Title your email NEW ROSCOMMON WRITING AWARD 2020. The names of the shortlisted writers will be announced in local media and online at: http://www.roscommoncoco.ie/en/Services/Community/Arts . Shortlisted writers will also be informed directly by the Arts Office. It is hoped to hold the awards ceremony later this year.
I N V I T A T I O N: Bealtaine Festival – Celebrating Creativity As We Age Consider running a Dawn/Dusk Chorus during the month of May. Older people, their families and friends sing songs they love, songs anybody can join in. For further details please email bealtaine1@ageandopportunity.ie or phone 01- 8057713
This event is co-ordinated by Age & Opportunity which is a national charitable organisation established in 1988 to promote healthy, happy and productive ageing in Irish communities. Each year we coordinate a Bealtaine Festival (http:Bealtaine.ie) during the month of May, a festival established to encourage and celebrate older people’s engagement with the arts.
One of the core events of the Bealtaine Festival is its Dawn/Dusk chorus which is a choral project where older people and choirs learn songs together and sing them at dawn/dusk on the first Sunday in May or at any other day/time during the month of May if that suits better. (It is regarded that involvement with choirs is one of the most established and effective means of artistic and community involvement). For further details in running a choir please email Bealtaine1@ageandopportunity.ie or phone 01- 8057713
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The Model presents Cairde Visual. Submissions Open / Deadline June 10th Cairde Sligo Arts Festival’s fifth annual open submission exhibition, Cairde Visual, is now accepting submissions from visual artists. The submission forms are available to download via cairdefestival.com or to collect at front of house at The Model. Submissions will be accepted up to Sunday June 10th. Cairde Visual will take place at the Model in Sligo from Wednesday the 11th - of July to Sunday 19th August 2018.
A significant, international open submission exhibition for the North West., Cairde Visual was established in 2013, by a group of Sligo based artists together with Cairde Sligo Arts Festival. The first annual submission took place in The Hyde Bridge Gallery in 2014. The fourth annual exhibition took place at The Model in 2017 and boasted over 100 artworks from local, national and international artists, featuring a great diversity of media.
The move of Cairde Visual to The Model for 2017 was an exciting development for all concerned. The exhibition has, in a short space of time, become a much-anticipated feature in the arts festival’s programme and in the cultural calendar of the region, not to mention an increasingly important fixture for artists all over Ireland and abroad.
2018 sees the return of The Model Cara Award, The Hamilton Gallery Award and the Cosgrave’s Delicatessen Award. Introduced in 2017, the Cosgrave’s Delicatessen Award offers a €500 cash prize to the selected artist. The Hamilton Gallery, a pioneering contemporary art gallery in the heart of Sligo, offers the winner a solo exhibition in the gallery's calendar of exhibitions in 2018. Clive Bright was the recipient of this award in 2016 and Daniel Chester was the recipient in 2017. Recipients of the Model Cara award - a short-term residency in The Model’s artist studio - to date have been Helen Blake in 2015 and both Daniel Chester and Selma Makela in 2016, and and Anna Spearman in 2017.
Cairde Sligo Arts Festival is very grateful to have such exceptional partners and would like to thank all of these organisations for their incredible support.
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Strokestown International Poetry Competition Shortlists Announced. Shortlists for two of the Strokestown International Poetry Competition 2019 have now been published.
See who got to the finals for the Percy French Comic Verse Competition here: https://www.strokestownpoetry.org/percy-french-prize-2019/
and for the Duais de hÍde here: https://www.strokestownpoetry.org/duais-de-hide-2019/
The shortlist for the main International Poetry Competition will be out in February.
Meanwhile, any writers with Roscommon connections are encouraged to try for the annual Roscommon Poets’ Prize, this year judged by Iggy McGovern. Eligibility has been extended to poets who went to school in the county, as well as people resident, in education or attending a writers group here. The deadline is February 15th . Details here: https://www.strokestownpoetry.org/roscommon-poets-prize-2019/
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RCYO SEEKING NEW MEMBERS Roscommon County Youth Orchestra currently has openings for beginners in Brass & Strings. We are also seeking new affiliate members in all sections.
Beginner lessons take place every Saturday in Roscommon Town (Strings) and Ballaghadereen (Brass).
Affiliate members are musicians who have reached grade 2 and who attend orchestra rehearsals & performances. For full information please visit http://www.roscommoncoco.ie/…/roscommon-youth-orchestra.html
To sign up or to find out more please contact Oli McHugh by email: rcyo@gretb.ie or phone: 091 874 557
CALLING ALL ARTISTS! The Wild Words Children’s Book festival, Carrick on Shannon, is currently looking to hear from writers and artists from all disciplines with extensive experience of working with children and young people that are interested in delivering either one-off readings or workshops with reference to books and literature with budgets starting at €200 to more long-term programmes lasting a number of consecutive days or regular visits over a number of weeks with budgets rising to €1,500. Existing partner client groups include primary schools, pre-schools, youth groups and secondary schools. However we are also seeking to extend the range of groups we work with to include parent and toddler groups, family support groups, youth arts groups and where possible, to develop new partnerships in other settings. Planning for all activity between the festival, artist and group will occur from March to May with all contact hours happening within the month of June. If you are interested in taking part, please contact us or send us your CV along with a proposal indicating the following for each different type of group you would like to work with -
the nature of the group you would like to work with including type, size, age range, necessary skill levels etc; a description of the workshop or programme you are proposing timeline, duration of workshops and time of the month Your fee any other costs you have any other costs or materials that the group must provide Any other requirements or info
The final date for receipt of proposals is Friday 1st March. All participating artists will be required to provide the requisite information for Garda Vetting. Artists should also indicate if/when they most recently completed child protection and welfare training as part of their CV.
For further information or to submit your proposal, contact Christine at info@wildwords.ie or 071 96 21694. www.wildwords.ie
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CARLOW ARTS FESTIVAL CALLOUT ART WORKS the Carlow Arts Festival and VISUAL Carlow Annual Open Submission and Art Award, sponsored by Hotron is open for submissions.
Artists are invited to submit their work in any medium for selection. The 2019 exhibition will be presented entirely in VISUAL’s Main Gallery, Carlow from 4 June – August 31. All artists will receive an artist's fee. This year’s Art Works Open Submission invites artists to submit work that responds to the song lyric:
“Dearly beloved,
We are gathered here today
To get through this thing called life”
Let’s go crazy, Prince. 1984
There will be two awards, sponsored by Hotron for outstanding work presented:
The ART WORKS Award of €3000, will be presented for the most outstanding work in any medium.
The Éigse Prize of €1000 will be presented for work by a recent graduate (2017/2018/2019) selected for the most outstanding work in any medium.
More information at https://carlowartsfestival.com/pages/opencall2019
Carlow Arts Festival
083 - 4006112
info@carlowartsfestival.com
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WRAP FUND NEWS The Western Region Audiovisual Producers Fund (WRAP) is delighted to announce the details of its Development Support for Games . The scheme is open to teams (where at least one Developer has a company established in the WRAP region) with a game that they wish to develop or co-develop.
For the full guidelines and details on how to apply, please visit our website Wrapfund.ie
DEADLINE for applications is: 5pm, Friday 08th March 2019. Please note that a new deadline for WRAP Development Funding (Film/Television/Animation) will be published shortly.
WRAP is an initiative of the Western Development Commission and Galway Film Centre in association with the local authorities of Clare, Donegal, Galway City, Galway County, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo and Údurás na Gaeltachta.
#WRAPFund #wraptalent
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Artists Bursary Programme 2019 This month sees the first of the open calls for artists for funding for 2019 from the arts office in Roscommon County Council. The annual Artist Bursaries programme has re-opened, along with the opportunity to apply for the much coveted Tyrone Guthrie Centre Residency bursaries.
Both bursary programmes are aimed at professional artists either currently living in the county or who were born here.
The Tyrone Guthrie Centre Residency Awards provide opportunities for artists to spend a period of time at the world-renowned artists retreat in Annaghmakerrig County Monaghan. The residential workplace for artists is dedicated to supporting and facilitating creativity within a home-like environment. Here artists can find peace and quiet to develop their work, together with the stimulation of living alongside other artists from all disciplines, enabling a rich cross-fertilization of ideas.
These two bursary programmes are the first of the 2019 announcements, with the Artists in Schools call out and the New Roscommon Writing and Chapbook bursaries also to be announced later this Spring as part of Roscommon County Council’s on-going commitment to supporting artists. All enquiries may be made to Breata Coyle, Tel: 090-66-37235 or email: bursaries@roscommoncoco.ie
The closing date for receipt of completed application forms is 5pm, Friday 15th February 2019.
Late applications will not be considered.
Tyrone Guthrie Application Form 2019
Tyrone Guthrie Centre Information Sheet 2019
Individual Artist Bursaries Application Form 2019
Individual Artist Bursaries Information Sheet 2019
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21 artists were awarded Individual Artists Bursaries in 2018.
3 artists were awarded a Tyrone Guthrie Bursary in 2018.
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PLACES MATTER CONFERENCE 2019
The upcoming Arts Council & Local Government joint conference PLACES MATTER will take place on Thursday 28 March 2019 in the Bailey Allen Hall in NUI Galway.
The conference theme will explore how we can create diverse participation in the arts. Places Matter is the second biennial joint conference between the Arts Council and Local Government and will address the theme of our rapidly changing demographic and ask how can we be more responsive to this transformation through public service provision and the arts.
The conference should be of interest to local government management and staff (arts, community development, libraries, culture teams), arts organisations, artists and academics.
More details will follow.
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Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust is seeking entries for its annual poetry competition Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust is seeking entries again for its annual poetry competition. The poetry competition is run in conjunction with the Poems For Patience series as part of Cúirt International Festival of Literature which runs from April 8th – 14th in Galway. The Poems For Patience Competition 2018 winning entry, Ruth Quinlan’s poem ‘Small Acts of Anticipation’ is included in our permanent poetry collection, on display throughout Galway University Hospitals. Ruth Quinlan also won the 2014 Over the Edge New Writer of the Year Award and the 2012 Hennessy Literary Award for First Fiction. She has been shortlisted or runner-up for other competitions such as Cúirt New Writing, the Francis Ledwidge Poetry Awards, and Doolin Writers’ Weekend. Other previous winners include Jane Clarke, Sheelagh Meehan, Liz Quirke, Rachel Coventry, Lorna Shaughnessy and Marie Cadden. We are now inviting poets to enter the 2019 competition with the closing date of Friday February 22nd.
The prize as part of the annual poetry competition includes: the winner will have his/her poem published and displayed on the Arts Corridor of University Hospital Galway as part of the 2019 Poems For Patience series. Poems For Patience is a long running series which over the past decade has featured poems by leading Irish and international poets such as Seamus Heaney, Philip Schultz, Jane Hirschfield, Michael Longley, Naomi Shihab Nye, Vona Groarke, Tess Gallagher and many more. The poems, after exhibition on the Arts Corridor, are then displayed in waiting areas throughout Galway University Hospitals. The winner will also be invited to read his or her winning poem at the launch of the 2019 Poems For Patience at Cúirt International Festival of Literature in April 2019; given a copy of their poem printed and framed as a Poem for Patience poster and invited to submit six poems for consideration to be a Featured Reader at the Over The Edge: Open Reading series in Galway City Library.
Margaret Flannery Arts Director: ‘Poems For Patience is one of our long running projects as part of the arts programme. Each year we receive a high volume of entrances to our poetry competition and look forward to welcoming all new participants. Poems For Patience is a firm favourite for many patients, staff members and visitors’.
The competition judge is Kevin Higgins. Kevin is co-organiser of Over The Edge literary events, teaches poetry workshops at Galway Arts Centre, Creative Writing at Galway Technical Institute, and is Creative Writing Director for the NUI Galway Summer School. He is poetry critic of The Galway Advertiser. His poetry is discussed in The Cambridge Introduction to Modern Irish Poetry and features in the generation defining anthology Identity Parade –New British and Irish Poets (Ed. Roddy Lumsden, Bloodaxe, 2010) and in The Hundred Years’ War: modern war poems (Ed. Neil Astley, Bloodaxe, April 2014). Kevin’s poetry has been translated into Greek, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Russian, & Portuguese. In 2014 Kevin's poetry was the subject of a paper 'The Case of Kevin Higgins, or, 'The Present State of Irish Poetic Satire ' presented by David Wheatley at a Symposium on Satire at the University of Aberdeen. He was Satirist-in-Residence at the Bogman’s Cannon (2015-16). '2016 - The Selected Satires of Kevin Higgins' was published by NuaScéalta in early 2016. His most recent book Song of Songs 2.0: New & Selected Poems was published last year by Salmon and includes a substantial number of new poems as well as selections from his six previous poetry collections.
For full details in regards to criteria and entry fee contact: Bridget Cheasty, Arts Assistant, Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust, Galway University Hospitals, University Hospital, Newcastle Road, Galway Tel: +353 (0)91 544979 Email: bridget.cheasty@hse.ie
About the organisation:
Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust run the west of Ireland's leading Arts and Health programme as a means of improving the hospital experience for patients, staff and visitors. The arts trust believes access to the arts promotes well-being and enhances the hospital environment. We provide a multi-disciplinary programme of events and activities, including exhibitions, participative workshops, music, theatre and poetry. GUHAT is a registered Charity (CHY17964).
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Margaret Cousins Commission awarded to visual artist Eimear Walsh Roscommon County Council funded through Creative Ireland is delighted to award The Margaret Cousins Commission to artist Eimear Walsh. This marks the first in a series of visual art commissions for County Roscommon celebrating our extraordinary citizens through exceptional and unexpected visual art projects. Artists across the country were invited to submit their ideas for exceptional ways of commemorating extraordinary people.
Margaret (Gretta) Cousins, theosophist and feminist, was born Margaret Gillespie, daughter of a law clerk, in Boyle, Co Roscommon, and lived out her commitments on two continents.
Cousins was an Irish-Indian educationist , suffragist and Theosophist , and among her many achievements, she established All India Women's Conference (AIWC) in 1927. Cousins co-founded the Irish Women's Franchise League with Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington in 1908, serving as its first treasurer. In 1910 she was one of six Dublin women attending the Parliament of Women , which attempted to march to the House of Commons to hand a resolution to the Prime Minister. In 1916, she became the first non-Indian member of the Indian Women's University at Poona . In 1917 Cousins co-founded the Women's Indian Association with Annie Besant and Dorothy Jinarajadasa . In 1919–20 Cousins was the first Head of the National Girls' School at Mangalore . In 1922, she became the first woman magistrate in India. In 1927, she co-founded the All India Women's Conference , serving as its President in 1936.
Eimear Walsh is an artist, writer, educator, and two-time Research Fellow at the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven.
In response to Cousin’s great achievements and influence on the feminist movement, Eimear Walsh will be recording a radio play audio and producing a small publication comprising the play script and two specially commissioned essays. The radio play centres on Margret Cousins as an international figure, incorporating Cousin’s theory, biography and musical work. The text will focus on the subject of marriage, both as personal element of Cousin’s life, and a subject of her political writing and campaigning. It will hold sensitivity to the context of Cousin’s own background in county Roscommon, and as a white woman working in India. The radio play will be written in consultation with two key collaborators, Maisie Gately, the artist’s grandmother and former ICA member, and Dyuti Chakravarty, a PhD student at the school of Sociology in UCD.
The commission will be completed in early 2019.
For further information contact Roscommon County Council curator in residence, Linda Shevlin. linda@lindashevlin.com
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Film Collaboration Bursary As one of the principal aims of the project is to support the professional development of those working in the sector and to support the development of new work, this new bursary for a filmmaker and writer to collaborate in the development of a new project. The purpose of this is to encourage practitioners to work together and learn from each other and to seed the development of new ideas that may be made into films in the future. Concepts for film projects in any context or genre will be accepted.
Download Guidelines
Download Application Form
Film Completion Award
This new award is for an individual filmmaker or film company to apply for funding to complete a project already commenced. The purpose of this is to support the careers of ambitious filmmakers, particularly emerging filmmakers and to support work with a strong cultural or progressive impact and filmmaking that takes risks on talent, form and content, where the more commercial sector cannot.
Download Guidelines
Download Application Form
For further information click here or please contact your respective arts office
New SLR Film Website The new website is almost live. To make sure you are listed, please read the following:Production Companies and Services need to email an image/logo (one with your name works best) and a link to your website. Please indicate if you are specialised (e.g. Visual FX, Drone, Production Design, Post production etc.) as we may categorise production companies/services, depending on numbers. send image and link to kate@refreshing.ie Individuals will be listed through Creative Frame - Register with Creative Frame as we will be linking to their filmmaker Profiles. In order to show the strength of the talent in the region, please make your presence visible http://creativeframe.eu/register/ Another reason to register is that all training will be co-ordinated through Creative Frame. It’s free to register and you will receive a bi – monthly e-newsletter to keep posted on any cross disciplinary training that is coming up as well as film-specific training.
E: slrfilmproject@gmail. com
T: 086 842 2591
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Chapbook Bursary Award The recipient of the 2018 Chapbook Bursary Award is Kevin Hora. The Roscommon Chapbook Bursary was established to assist Roscommon writers with the costs associated with publishing a modest collection of poems or a compact collection of short stories. The Bursary Award recipient decision was made by an independent adjudication panel.
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At the Abbey Saturday 14th August from 9.30pm Booking opens Wed 11
Roscommon County Council Arts Office in association with Boyle Arts Festival, the OPW and Heritage Week 2021 will host “At the Abbey” on Saturday 14th August - a dance, music, film, projections and lighting effects event, live from Boyle Abbey. The event is funded by the Local Live Performance Programming Scheme at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. A second event “At the Castle” will take place at Loughnaneane Park, Roscommon Town, on Culture Night Friday 17th September.
Stunning film by Emma Brennan will be projected onto the walls of the atmospheric ruins of Boyle Abbey, portraying a new dance piece choreographed by renowned contemporary dance artist Mintesinot Wolde and local dancers, with music composed by Emma Brennan and performed by local musicians. Projections and lighting have been devised by Algorithm Productions who bring their expertise to the local team in creating and devising this unique show. The live show takes place at 9.30pm on August 14th followed by projections and lighting until 11.30pm.
Roscommon County Council has been allocated funding by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Local Live Performance Programming Scheme 2021 to programme outdoor live performances in summer 2021. Arts Officer Rhona McGrath explains “this is part of a suite of COVID-19 measures by the government to support the commercial live performance sector . The funding enables local authorities to manage and support performances by local performers, technical teams and event organisers, and to bring high quality performances to the public in a safe manner, outdoors, this summer. ” At the Abbey is the opening event for Heritage Week 2021.
Mintesinot Wolde is a contemporary dancer, choreographer, teacher and member of Dance Ireland. He has a Masters in Contemporary Dance Performance from the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance at the University of Limerick and has worked on numerous performances with notable Irish dance choreographers. Now based in Roscommon, Mintesinot has established his own company. For these events, Mintesinot has engaged dancers Victoria Walker, Kate Lohan, Carol Ann Farrelly, Patri Savoie and Robin Wilson.
Emma Brennan, from Roscommon, is a composer, actor, photographer, filmmaker and award-winning director and producer. She tutors in the Michael Chekhov Method in Dublin and is the founder of The Actor Lab. Emma holds an M. Phil in Music & Media Technologies from Trinity College, Dublin. For these productions, Emma has engaged musicians John and Liz Wynne flute, Padraig McGovern & Leonard Barry uilleann pipes, Barra O Flanniagh percussion, John Joe Kelly bodhrán and Mossie Martin fiddle.
Tickets are free but booking is essential for the live show at 9.30pm via www.boylearts.com . Booking opens Wednesday 11th August at Noon. The projections can be viewed from 10pm until 11.30pm without booking.
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Roscommon County Council Arts Office, Roscommon County Council, Áras an chontae, Roscommon. Ireland
